Re: Heart of darkeness.

: : READ INTO -- informed of, briefed about. "Fewer than two hundred operatives and officials, were completely read into the program, the former intelligence official said. "We're not going to read more people than necessary into our heart of darkness."
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: : WHITE -- the opposite of covert.
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: : From The New Yorker, The Gray Zone," May 24, 2004, Page 39.

: Can anyone tell me if the phrase "heart of darkness" antecedes its use by Joseph Conrad? I don't mean casual use, unbeknownst to Conrad, but used conspicuously enough to have inspired Conrad. It's interesting to hear it in the context quoted by ESC. Who knew that intelligence officials read Conrad? Or did he get it somewhere else? SS

The Dictionary of Allusions (Merriam-Webster) includes the title "Heart of Darkness." But it doesn't say anything about the origin of the title. I looked in "Now All We Need is a Title" but it didn't have this one.